No DV for Bangladeshis: US

The United States today urged Bangladeshi citizens to remain cautious about ‘malicious people’ who are alluring Bangladeshi citizens with fake claim about Diversity Visa (DV) though Bangladesh is no more an eligible country for the DV programme.

"We don't have DV any more for Bangladeshi citizens," Consul General of the US Embassy in Dhaka Elizabeth Gourlay told reporters at a press conference at the American Club in Dhaka today.

She said Bangladesh is a great and big country with significant representation in the US and the DV Programme is for those countries which are not well-represented in the US.

For Diversity Immigrant Visa Programme, popularly known as DV, natives of a number of countries, including Bangladesh, are not eligible to apply in 2017 because more than 50,000 natives of these countries immigrated to the United States in the previous five years.

There reports that people are receiving emails in their individual email accounts, through Facebook or cell phone SMS informing the receivers that he or she has been selected for DV.

"I don't know and I don't have any idea how to stop these malicious people," Gourlay said adding that even she got such an email when she was in Paris.

She, however, said, "Please tell your readers that it (fake claim of winning DV) is not true."

US Embassy Spokesperson Nancy VanHorn who was also present at the press conference said educating people about visa issues can help get accurate information.

The Consul General shared tips on applying for US visas and introduced a video produced by the US Embassy in an effort to educate Bangladeshis about visa fraud and scams.

Gourlay stressed the importance the embassy places on providing high standards of customer service to visa applicants and noted that tourists, students, business travelers, and immigrants from Bangladesh are valued by the US government.

"Each year, thousands of Bangladeshis successfully apply for a US visa. We want to ensure that all potential applicants avoid scams and fraud, so we produced this video," she said.

The US Embassy launched its anti-fraud campaign, starting with this video, to protect Bangladeshi visa applicants.

The message is simple and applies to all visa applicants: tell the truth, fill out your own application, and if you have questions, ask the embassy.

The video was created in partnership with Bangladeshi arts firm Creative Media Limited and employs an inventive form of stop-motion animation.

Asked whether any visa applicant is banned from entering into the USA for submitting fake documents, she said she does not have any idea about the number.

There should be no excuse of telling lie, she said advising the visa seekers to follow rules.